Evening Republican, Volume 19, Number 154, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 June 1915 — Detroit Has a Divorce Case in Sign Language [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Detroit Has a Divorce Case in Sign Language

DETROIT, MICH. —Working his fingers and facial expressions almost unceasingly, Muirville P. Wilson, a deaf mute, told Judge Mandell how his wife, who also is a mute, scolded and otherwise abused him. The story was

told through a deaf interpreter, and at its conclusion. Judge Mandell sighed, remarked, “We‘ all have troubles of our own,” and signed a decree of divorce. Another witness, also a deaf-mute told of things coming under his observation, and none of his testimony was objected to as being merely hearsay. Clerk Thomas Fraser administered the oath in his loudest tones to the deaf interpreter, who in turn worded it on his fingers to the wit-

nesses. Asked to give his address, the complainant rapidly spelled and gestured something with his right hand. The interpreter, with a quizzical look on his face, turned to the judge and remarked, “**unny, but I never beard of street,” and the judge smiled and said he did not either. At one time the complainant seemed to be {filing a long story, and Attorney Loree, fearing that the patience of the court would be exhausted, walked up close to the interpreter and thundered, “Don’t lead that witness into any long-winded conversations,” and toe court smiled again. ' When toe witness told how his wife threw a bottle at his hiiad every